The capital, Ankara, some 250 miles from Istanbul, also was affected. The outage extended to 45 of Turkey's 81 provinces.

The semiofficial Anadolu Agency quoted Energy Minister Taner Yildiz as saying the cause of the outage was unknown. Yildiz, speaking during a visit to Slovakia, said he could neither confirm nor deny that a cyberattack had triggered the blackout, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Flightradar24, which maps real-time flight data on the Internet, tweeted that the outage was "affecting flights," and said 11 of its 16 air traffic monitoring systems receivers -- as distinct from the country's air traffic control system -- were not working.

The Turkish Electricity Transmission Co. blamed the outage on a problem with transmission lines, Anadolu Agency reported. The utility said an investigation was in progress, as were efforts to restore power, the news agency said.

The outage began at 10:36 a.m. (3:36 a.m. ET). Nearly two hours later, according to Anadolu Agency, about 15% of the power had been restored to Istanbul and Ankara, including in some subway stations. Power also was beginning to flow again to a number of provinces that had been cut off, the agency reported.

By midafternoon, Yildiz said, 90% of Istanbul's power had been restored.

"Crowded places such as metro stations have been given electricity, and we believe the rest of the country should be fully powered shortly," he said.

Prosecutor taken hostage

Also Tuesday, a prosecutor in a controversial case was reportedly taken hostage by armed men at a courthouse in Istanbul.

Mehmet Selim Kiraz was assigned to the case of Berkin Elvan, a 15-year-old boy who was injured during the anti-government Gezi Park protests in June 2013.

The teen died the following March after having spent nine months in a coma. The case, with its overtones of possible police overreaction, has been politically contentious, just as the protests themselves were.

The prosecutor was taken hostage around 12:30 p.m. Turkish time in his office on the sixth floor of the Caglayan district courthouse, Anadolu Agency reported.

Police evacuated that floor of the building, the agency reported. Snipers were deployed, it said.

The agency said that two gunshots were heard as officers tried to get into the prosecutor's office, but it is not known whether anyone was hurt.

Negotiations between the gunmen and authorities were reported to have followed.

An explosion, followed by sounds of more gunshots, could be heard coming from the courthouse Tuesday evening, hours after the situation began. Smoke emanated from the building; the consequences of those sounds weren't immediately clear.

A coalition of workers will walk off the job on April 15, according to the group known as Fight for $15.

It said "tens of thousands" of workers are planning to go on strike in cities across the United States and in as many as 40 other countries -- including Italy, Brazil and Japan -- to demand higher wages and the freedom to form unions.

"By coming together across borders, fast-food workers have an opportunity to transform the industry all over the world," said Massimo Frattini, an organizer with the International Union of Foodworkers, which is coordinating the global protests.

Fight for $15 has organized protests of fast food workers in the past, but it's now trying to expand the movement to others in the "low-wage economy."

Home health aides, child care workers, retail employees, airport baggage handlers and non-tenured university professors will all take part in the strike.

"We help people live with dignity," said Molita Spaulding, home care worker from Miami, Fla. "We should be paid enough to pay our own bills."

In addition, students at more than 170 universities are expected to stage walkouts in a show of support.

Organizers say they picked April 15, the deadline to file federal income tax returns, to call attention to the disparity between corporate profits and the plight of low-wage workers.

It's been more than two years since fast food workers first took to the streets to push for wages of at least $15 per hour. While unemployment has been on the decline, many of the jobs that have been added to the economy in recent years have been in industries like retail and health care, which do not pay very well.

President Obama has proposed increasing the federal minimum wage to $10.10, up from $7.25 currently. But the proposal has been blocked by Republicans in Congress.

With little progress at the federal level, many states and cities have taken up the initiative.

Minimum wage hikes went into effect on January 1 in 20 states, including South Dakota, Nebraska, Alaska and Alabama and Washington, D.C.

Some cities have been even more aggressive. Seattle and San Francisco passed $15 wage laws, while Los Angeles announced a significant wage hike too.

Even some large companies have responded to workers' demands for higher wages.

Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer and industry standard-setter, announced last month it's raising the wage floor to $9 an hour for 500,000 full-time and part-time associates across the country in April. By next February, the number will increase to $10 an hour.

"Person of interest" being questioned by deputies

Update 1:50 p.m.: Officials have confirmed that the victim has been pronounced dead at St. Mary’s Medical Center. Deputies are currently talking with a “person of interest” and are investigating this case as a homicide.

LIVE LOCAL LATE BREAKING NEWS RIGHT NOW --- A SHOOTING IN LAKE WORTH . PEOPLE BEING WARNED TO STAY INSIDE THEIR HOMES WITH AN ACTIVE SEARCH UNDERWAY FOR A SHOOTER. JOHN DZENETIS IS ON THE SCENE OF THE SHOOTING AND JOHN- YOU SPOKE TO THE VICTIM'S BROTHER. VICTIM'S BROTHER. 3 3 3

Recommended

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.

Connecticut cornerback Byron Jones turned heads with his numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine in February and kept the buzz going at his pro day on Tuesday with a 40-yard dash in the 4.36-4.39 range, which would have ranked among the best in Indianapolis.

Jones is the seventh-ranked cornerback in the 2015 class by NFLDraftScout.com and is viewed as a possible first round pick. Several high-ranking NFL decision-makers were in attendance at UConn's pro day, including head coaches Chip Kelly (Philadelphia Eagles) and Mike Zimmer (Minnesota Vikings).

At 6-feet-1 and 199 pounds, Jones lit up Lucas Oil Stadium in the vertical (44.5-inches) and broad jump (12'03") at the combine, but was unable to run as he continued his rehab from shoulder surgery. He also performed 18 reps on the bench press at his pro day and impressed during positional drills.

Jones plays with some hip and upper-body tightness and inconsistent technique, but his fluid lower body helps mask those mechanical flaws. Although unpolished in areas, his combination of size, smarts and natural athleticism is what NFL teams seek at the cornerback position. Factor in his high character and impressive intangibles and Jones is an attractive prospect that many believe will land in the draft's first round.

Connecticut wide receiver Geremy Davis also impressed during the on-campus workout, running in the 4.37-4.42 range in the 40-yard dash. His college production suffered due to inconsistent quarterback play, but he offers intriguing NFL traits with his size (6-2, 216), speed and ballskills. While not as gifted or proven as West Virginia's Kevin White, Davis offers a similar skill-set at a discounted price later in the draft.

--Dane Brugler is an analyst for www.NFLDraftScout.com, a property of The Sports Xchange distributed in partnership with CBSSports.com.